LOGINEmbarrassingly, I did want to go after Ellie and hunt her and Lucas down right now. But the festival still had several hours left, and I needed to be here. Ellie was already gone. The pack’s Alpha couldn’t disappear, too.“I’m staying,” I said. “But thanks for the offer.”Vivian nodded. “Well, if yo
Dominic’s POVShe had said she would be back in a few minutes.That was over an hour ago, and Ellie still wasn’t back.I looked for her, wandering through the festival grounds, but I saw no sign of Ellie. Still, despite the strange pit that formed in my stomach, I decided to give her the benefit of
Lucas’s brows lifted. “Did you notify the guards?”“I can’t,” I said.Lucas stared at me. I sighed. “Look, I can’t explain the whole thing.” I held his gaze. “I just need you to trust me on that part.”A moment passed, but finally, he nodded once.I pulled the fabric out of my pocket and held it out
Ellie’s POV“I’m fine,” I said. “Really.”“Ellie.” He hadn't let go of my arm yet. “You passed out. You were unconscious on the ground for almost two minutes.”Only two minutes? That came as a surprise, because it felt like I had completely relived my past life in that amount of time.“And now you’r
Ellie’s POVThe assassin was here.And the world tilted around me as my heart slammed too wildly against my ribs for my head to keep up.He was here. He was back. It was all happening again, just with slightly different details this time, and now…The last thing I saw before everything went dark was
“Thank you,” I finally managed. That was all.Dominic’s mother squeezed my hand once, then let go. “Speak of the devil,” she whispered, nodding her head toward a space a little ways down the field.Dominic was standing about thirty feet away, talking to one of the pack elders. He had his hands in hi
Ellie POV I hear him above, twig snapping, legs breaking. Sounds like a storm with no rainWith a soft thud of dirt, the scrape of claws against stone, his massive shape drops back into the pit, a bundle of snapped logs and branches clenched in his jaws.He shakes, scattering leaves and soil every
Ellie POV The mountain watches us long before we reach it.By the time we gather at the clearing at its base, the air has turned sharp enough to sting when I inhale too deeply. Cold clings low to the ground, seeping up through the soles of my boots, settling into my calves.Even in daylight, jacket
I don’t know them, but I do. From the memory. Still, I find myself stepping forward into a knot of mostly unfamiliar faces—management-track students I’ve only ever passed in hallways or worked around, never with.Their jackets are cleaner. Their posture more assured. They cluster instinctively, alre
Vivian POV As soon as Dominc left, I. Was. Pissed.Everyone was in a rush, instructors trying to orchestrate a search party, students whispering and conspiring if Ellie was even alive.Some panicked, others choosing to keep celebrating the win of the day.The clearing was now a mess, lanterns swing







